Ask About My Peanut Allergy

Treatment Success Helps Normalize Bo's Life

2009-12-12T16:51:12-06:00

As most of our reader's know from following Bo's peanut allergy research study updates over the past 3 years, we have always focused on the positives. There are plenty of other peanut allergy blogs that chronicle the very real day-to-day challenges we all share of living with a loved one affected by life threatening food allergies. So after a quick trip down memory lane, we want to focus this update on how the success of Bo's peanut allergy desensitization treatments at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock are slowly bringing more normalcy to Bo's life.

Quick Recap of Bo's Peanut Allergy Treatment Journey

Bo is 8 now, but was 5 years old back in June 2007 when he started the "double blind" peanut allergy treatment study in which a small percentage of participants get a placebo instead of actual treatment but neither Drs. nor participants know who. At that point, he was so allergic to peanuts that his initial daily dosage amount that he was eating was so miniscule it looked like a few grains of sand in a cup. But over the course of the year as the doseage levels were slowly increased, Bo had worked up to eating the equivalent of about nine peanut kernals per day... or so we thought.

On his one year anniversary of participating in the "double blind" peanut allergy desensitization study he failed his food challenge and we learned Bo had been one of the kids randomly selected to receive a placebo in year one of the study. So in June 2008 after one year of 900 mile roundtrips every other week from South Louisiana to Little Rock, we regrouped and started the the process all over again, taking comfort in knowing that he would be getting real peanut for his daily doses from then on. By May of 2009 Bo had graduated to the maximum daily dose and switched from peanut flour to eating more than 30 peanut butter M&Ms every day! In October 2009 Bo passed his food challenge and has continued eating his peanut butter M&Ms every day since to maintain his peanut allergy desensitization!

Treatment Success Helps Normalize Bo's Life

Keep in mind that even though Bo is now able to eat more than 30 peanut butter M&Ms every day without an allergic reaction and we no longer have to worry about cross-contamination level risks, he is still allergic to peanuts. Therefore, we still avoid food with peanuts in the ingredients and Bo always has his Epipens with him wherever he goes.

Below is a list of the ways our life has changed for the better and things we have learned because of Bo's participation in the peanut allergy treatment study for the past few years.

Less stress now over the food being served at birthday parties and holiday meals
Now able to eat in more restaurants (convenient and fun)
Now able to eat some of the foods labeled "may contain" or "assembled in a facility that processes nuts"
Now allow Bo to spend the night out with friends and relatives
Now able to travel more
Are so appreciative for Disney's wonderful food allergy friendly parks
Enjoy receiving wonderful e-mails and comments to our blog about the hope that Bo's story has brought to so many families around the world dealing with life threatening food allergies.
Understand how even in your lowest moments, there is always someone dealing with more life burdens than you.

We pray that this holiday season and 2010 will be a time of good health, happiness and prosperity for all. And, as we do every night, we pray for world peace, for the military to come home soon safe to their families and give thanks for the many blessings in our life!

May God bless you and your families.

Sincerely,

Bo's parents
www.askaboutmypeanutallergy.com

Bo Passes Peanut Challenge!

2009-10-12T22:08:24-05:00

On Sept. 21, 2009, Bo had his long awaited peanut food challenge to determine the effectiveness of his peanut allergy desensitization treatment at Arkansas Childrens Hospital in Little Rock. As most of our readers know by now, Bo has been in the peanut allergy treatment study for over two years (turns out year one he was getting placebo). A few months ago he had reached the maximum daily treatment dosage levels for his study that requires him to eat a small bag of peanut butter M&Ms every day.

The purpose of the food challenge after one year of daily peanut ingestion desensitization treatment is two fold.

The double blind food challenge takes a total of about 4 hours to complete and involves eating incremental amounts of mix A and mix B, one of which is secretly a placebo. The food challenge is stopped immediately upon any signs of an allergic reaction. The subject is observed in the hospital environment as they first eat the increasing doses of mix A over a short period, looking for any signs of an allergic reaction. After finishing the maximum dose of mix A, then the food challenge is repeated with mix B. Afterwards, it is revealed which food mix was placebo and which was peanut. This methodology ensures the subject does not have subjective "false" reactions based on emotions, such as, reporting tingling lips if they know they are eating peanut.
The max dose given in the food challenge is 25% more than the subject's current daily peanut dosage. If no allergic reaction is observed after the final max dosage of the peanut mix, the subject knows they have a 25% higher tolerance "safety net" than their daily doseage levels.

Bo passed the peanut food challenge with flying colors, no allergic reaction what so ever and his skin test that morning showed visible signs of his increasing desensitization to the various dilutions of peanut compared to his results when he began the study!

Note: While life for Bo and his parents is definitely getting closer to normal due to his peanut allergy treatment success (like having more flexibility with restaurant options and birthday cakes/ice cream), as long as peanuts are not an actual ingredient, we still avoid foods labeled as "may contain peanuts or tree nuts" or have peanuts listed as an ingredient as a common sense precaution.

Bo will continue eating his daily peanut dose and will participate in quarterly blood tests and skin tests so that his long term peanut allergy desensitization results can be tracked.

Thank you all so much for your many prayers and kind e-mails. We pray that all people dealing with food allergies soon have the option to participate in food allergy desensitization treatments if they want to and one day for the preventive cure to end the fear, anxiety and suffering caused by life-threatening food allergies!

Sincerely,

Bo's Parents
www.askaboutmypeanutallergy.com

More Peanut Desensitization Studies

2009-09-06T17:02:29-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts recently. Bo battled the flu and Dad had an emergency appendectomy so the trip to Little Rock for Bo's peanut allergy food challenge has been postponed. Everybody is doing well now, though Mom needs a much deserved rest from playing nurse to the men of the house while running her travel agency business at the same time!

We are very excited to have received several e-mails recently from our readers that are participating in peanut desensitization treatment studies similar to Bo's at Duke in North Carolina, Australia and Spain! The fact that food allergy desensitization therapies are going global should help give this type of food allergy research and treatment even more medical credibility.

These food allergy treatment studies are laying the groundwork for the day in the not-so-distant future when food allergy sufferers can easily get safe, effective treatments or maybe even prevent anyone from ever developing a food allergy in the first place!

Enjoy Life Foods Granola Recommended by Bo

Over the last 2 months Bo has been eating granola from Enjoy Life Foods. The cool thing about Enjoy Life Foods is that all of their products are free of the 8 most common food allergens (wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy fish and shellfish) plus they are made in a dedicated nut-free and gluten-free bakery! As for taste... well we have gone through 3 bags in just 2 months. We have added Enjoy Life Foods granola to Bo's Peanut Safe Foods List. Bo eats the Enjoy Life Foods granola plain as a snack, while Dad likes to add it to cereal, oatmeal or yogurt. Enjoy Life Foods granola is a quick and easy allergy friendly food that is both delicious and nutritious! (Enjoy Life Foods Cinnamon Crunch Granola - 12.8 oz. , Enjoy Life Foods Cranapple Crunch Granola - 12.8 oz. , Enjoy Life Foods Very Berry Crunch Granola - 12.8 oz. )

No More Eating at the School Peanut Safe Table

2009-08-02T21:58:29-05:00

We are now in the home stretch of Bo's peanut allergy desensitization treatment through Arkansas Childrens Hospital. During this phase, we only have to make the 7 hour trip to Little Rock once a quarter instead of the every other week pace we had to do for the past two years. That means he had a lot more free time this summer for swimming, baseball camps, spending the night with friends and visits with the grand parents.

Bo has been eating 34 peanut butter M&Ms every day since May as his daily dose to maintain his peanut allergy desensitization. We have received a few e-mails asking how our life has changed as Bo's desensitization to peanuts has increased throughout his peanut allergy treatment. Below is a quick list of some ways our life is slowly returning to normal as Bo's peanut allergy desensitization treatment continues and we no longer have to worry so much about an allergic reaction due to cross contamination or "may contain" levels of peanut exposure.

We are now more comfortable with Bo eating foods that don't list peanuts in the ingredients, including restaurants where chefs assure us they can accommodate his peanut allergy
Bo will be in second grade this year at school and we are going to allow him to eat at the regular table in the school cafeteria instead of the peanut safe table whenever he wants to
We are also going to allow him to start riding the bus
We have allowed Bo to stay overnight with friends and family as long he has his Epipens with him

Finally, we are hoping that we can get Bo's final food challenge scheduled with Arkansas Children's Hospital. For some reason, the protocal for those study participants who received placebo in year one (In June of 2008 we learned Bo had received placebo in year one) differs from the defined protocal for those that did not get placebo by omitting the food challenge at the end of one year of treatment. We have been patiently working with the nurses and Doctors to get the hospital board to approve Bo's food challenge so we can understand the extent of protection Bo now has due to his peanut allergy desensitization. It's a little frustrating to have invested so much time and money to this peanut allergy desensitization treatment at Arkansas Childrens Hospital to now have a documentation technicality slow down this important food challenge to validate Bo's success for us and others who will benefit from this great research.

Learn more about the food allergy research programs at ACHRI